1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system and, in particular, to a mechanism for managing port assignments across multiple nodes in a network of data processing systems. Still more particularly, the present invention provides a mechanism for identifying port assignment conflicts and for facilitating correction of port assignment conflicts in a data processing system network.
2. Description of Related Art
Currently, the most commonly employed method of transferring data over the Internet is to employ the World Wide Web environment, also called simply “the Web”. Other Internet resources exist for transferring information, such as File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and Gopher, but have not achieved the popularity of the Web. In the Web environment, servers and clients effect data transaction using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), a known protocol for handling the transfer of various data files (e.g., text, still graphic images, audio, motion video, application data, etc.).
The Internet also is widely used to transfer applications to users using browsers. With respect to commerce on the Web, individual consumers and business use the Web to purchase various goods and services. In offering goods and services, some companies offer goods and services solely on the Web while others use the Web to extend their reach.
Nodes deployed in the Internet typically utilize layered protocols that facilitate processing of different facets of node-to-node communications. For example, in systems employing the transport control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP), a network stack features a link layer, network layer, transport layer, and an application layer. In the TCP/IP protocol suite, the transport layer manages the flow of data between two hosts, e.g., a client and server, for the application layer. To this end, the transport layer includes a port designation, e.g., a 16-bit port number, for distinguishing which application to direct data to (or from). Data received at the transport layer of the network stack is demultiplexed and conveyed to a particular application based on a destination port number read from the TCP header.
In large enterprise environments with many application servers, port assignments may become conflicted. That is, multiple applications may be deployed in a network that listen for data on a common port. In such situations, one or more of the applications assigned the port number may fail. Typically, the latter application assigned a duplicative port number will be non-functional. Conventionally, conflicted port assignments must be resolved through manual intervention—a time consuming and tedious process.
It would be advantageous to provide a mechanism for detecting port assignment conflicts in a network data processing system. It would be further advantageous to provide a mechanism for automatically resolving port assignment conflicts in response to detecting such conflicts.